Biarritz bank on Harinordoquy in today’s big semi-final

The Basque forward is magnificent in lineouts and also has the dexterity and pace of a back

Imanol Harinordoquy hopes to help Biarritz Olympique to victory as they take on Munster (Blondeau Manuel)
Perhaps the most extraordinary aspect of the sheer brilliance of Imanol
Harinordoquy is obvious only in semi-naked close-up. After a Heineken Cup
match in Biarritz two seasons ago, he gave a post-match interview in the
dressing room under the stand. As he was talking, he took off his padding,
piece by piece, from shoulders and sides and from across his chest, leaving
it in a pile on the floor. Gradually, the powerhouse who had entered the
room disappeared.

Some match programmes list him as 6ft 5in (1m 96cm) and more than 16Ast
(105kg). No way. As one of our number said in some awe as Harinordoquy left
at the end of the interview: “How good would he be if he was big?” He has
not managed badly. With 62 caps for France, he is seen as one of the great
forwards of the era in world rugby. The back row